The short story...I had a few things to do under the bed so I popped the top and installed some new beams and interior walls.
The details...Having a completely open space under the bed is like having an unfinished basement. Sooner or later I want some walls and a little organization. From the start, when I installed the 8 square feet of pull out clothing bins, I knew I wanted some walls to keep anything from jamming into the sides. Also to seal the bins that will contain clothing from bugs and dust entering from any open hatches.
If you have anything to do under the bed it is very easy to unscrew and remove either the left (A) or right (C) front plywood tops. However, the rear 28 by 80 inch plywood panel (D) also suspends the three cross members that do not run all the way to the rear wall as one might think. So if you just want to remove the rear panel to fix a tail light wire, it would be a real mess with the rest of the top collapsing under your weight.
That structure obviously works but is not the traditional design I prefer. I installed two main beams that run from the front wall to the rear wall that line up directly over the two outside aluminium bin tracks on the the floor. This allows the rear panel to be independently removed without destroying the entire structure. The tracks on the floor are natural bottom supports for thin panel walls between them and the upper beams.
I used more of the $1 extruded aluminium track light rail for the two side to side cross members. One is at 28 inches from the rear and supports the plywood joints. The other is placed half way between that and the front to support the weight of the two person “crawl over”.
I don’t need a center access hatch (b) so it is now screwed down as well. However, I do like access over the water pump etc, so the right panel (c) now lacks screws and is easily removable.
With the new drivers side rear hatch and our acquisition of a Gazelle screen room and some long folding chairs, we decided that 3 bins per side instead of 4 would do for our clothes. This gives us back some great cross trailer storage at the rear.
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So many modifications...so little time.
I am not sure the best way to make or install a different table leg in a 17B but the one I made for the 19 should work. It is secure, reasonably small in diameter and inexpensive to make.
I removed all the plywood from under the bed when I added a 4-way plug to my back receiver hitch. I needed access to the wiring for the tail lights and was also surprised that the cross supports did not go all the way to the rear wall.
While my mod was not as extensive as yours, I sistered some 1"x2" to the vertical member and used some angle brackets to attach them to the rear support member.
While I had the plywood out, I painted them with some left over paint I had around. I didn't quite have enough paint to get that last corner on the center hatch.
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- Arnie & Paula & Kizzy the rat terrier https://www.arniesea.com
- 2019 5.0 TA, 2017 Tundra Platinum.
- Bremerton, WA
Looks good. I think the paint will help keep some condensation from soaking into the plywood.
I still need to write up what I did to finish the bed surface.
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So many modifications...so little time.
With the new drivers side rear hatch and our acquisition of a Gazelle screen room and some long folding chairs, we decided that 3 bins per side instead of 4 would do for our clothes. This gives us back some great cross trailer storage at the rear.
Ed: Great work as usual. The cross trailer storage is the exact reason I only went so deep with my underbed drawer. Great for storing the front cot (we welded the 2 piece crossbars) and a Clam Escape XL. The Clam is a tight fit through the access hatch but doable.
It would not be Easter without having the fun and opportunity of searching for a few Easter Eggs.
In my previous post # 301, pictures 5 and 7 each contain one Easter Egg (another name for a hint) of a modification to be written up and posted in the next few weeks.
You should be able to find them...but do you know what they are and will be used for?
It has nothing to do with the loose stuff in the rear area of picture 5 like the Gazelle screen room, grey bag, J pole antenna sitting on them, the crank, black wheel blocks, yellow jack pads, etc OR the bin drawers in the unlabelled picture 7.
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So many modifications...so little time.
It would not be Easter without having the fun and opportunity of searching for a few Easter Eggs.
In my previous post # 301, pictures 5 and 7 each contain one Easter Egg (another name for a hint) of a modification to be written up and posted in the next few weeks.
You should be able to find them...but do you know what they are and will be used for?
It has nothing to do with the loose stuff in the rear area of picture 5 like the Gazelle screen room, grey bag, J pole antenna sitting on them, the crank, black wheel blocks, yellow jack pads, etc OR the bin drawers in the unlabelled picture 7.
The short story...I removed the factory black belly band insert and replaced it with a grey one to match our truck.
The details...Before we picked up our trailer I had already ordered a replacement grey belly band. I got an unusually great deal on Amazon.ca of 100 feet for $18...enough to do our trailer twice. Great to replace it again in 10 years or so when it gets brittle. Belly band inserts are available in a wide range of colours.
It is easy to pull out the old and install the new by hand as long as it is a reasonably warm day. Just make sure you don’t stretch the new band as you install it. You don’t want it shrinking up too much as the temperature changes.
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So many modifications...so little time.
Trailer: 2019 Escape 5.0TA "SCRATCH" First 5.0 TA registered in South Carolina
Posts: 620
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eggscape
The short story...I removed the factory black belly band insert and replaced it with a grey one to match our truck.
The details...Before we picked up our trailer I had already ordered a replacement grey belly band. I got an unusually great deal on Amazon.ca of 100 feet for $18...enough to do our trailer twice. Great to replace it again in 10 years or so when it gets brittle. Belly band inserts are available in a wide range of colours.
It is easy to pull out the old and install the new by hand as long as it is a reasonably warm day. Just make sure you don’t stretch the new band as you install it. You don’t want it shrinking up too much as the temperature changes.
I like that mod and just ordered some. Got a question. Do you know the thickness of the compartment doors? I want to order some replacement latches. I don't pick up the trailer until June 24 but I want to replace the latches on the return trip. I can get some latches keyed alike with the entry door. Thanks jn
If you are asking about the factory hatch door lock, you also have to consider it does extend beyond the rear of the door to latch behind a rib in the extruded aluminium frame.
I did some door measurements but then realised that I had the original lock that I removed and could just measure that. Also the hatch came with one key lock and one twist lock.
The barrel is 7/8 of an inch and the tab has a slight return.
Here are some pictures.
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So many modifications...so little time.
The short story...I installed 40 feet of LED lights in the belly band.
The details...It has been exactly one year since we picked up our trailer so what better post to do on Eggscape’s birthday, but party lights.
Armadillo fiberglass trailers, also built here in BC, has had belly band lights for some time, but when I talked to them they gave up no secrets on their installations. Here are some of mine.
Doing a little testing before I ordered the strings of LEDs I found out that they would glow through the grey belly band insert, enough to look interesting but not so bright as to be irritating while sitting around the camp fire. I ordered 3 strings of LEDs that came in a roll 5 meters long each (approx 16 ft). Each roll cost $4.46 with free shipping and contains 300 LEDs. I selected the waterproof coating and bright white LEDs as the grey band is not that translucent.
I also purchased a few rolls of double sided foam tape. The foam tape I cut into pieces and stuck them between the rivets that hold the belly band to the trailer. This makes for a consistent level application of the LED strip allowing them to span over the rivets and appear uniform under the band. It also covers any unused holes in the metal keeping out the dust that can seep in from the underside at each corner. The adhesive that comes on the back side of LED strips is sometimes not all that great, so the double sided foam tape does most of the sticking.
I decided the easiest way for me to supply power to the LED strips was to drill a hole in the belly band through to the fridge compartment. It is also close to a mid point and allows me to individually power the front strip and/or the rear strip. Each strip runs from the entrance door around the trailer to the drivers side. This is where it gets tricky as each strip is too short to make it to the power hole I drilled. The two pieces needed to complete the loop are cut from the 3rd roll at the designated cut points marked on the strip. However, it is not easy to solder on the extra strips as the thick waterproof coating is moulded onto the strip making the contact points difficult to get to.
Unless you are really good at soldering techniques, I would suggest you just order two 5 meter rolls of lights. Start from the door and where they stop along the drivers side of the trailer...they stop. Connect some extension wires to the wires provided on the end of the strip and continue them along the belly band and through the power access hole. Call it a “good neighbour install” as close campers might not appreciate a continuous light along the drivers side of your trailer.
I wanted to power the front and rear strips individually so I could select either one or both depending on power availability. I also wanted an indicator LED for each strip inside the trailer so I could tell during the day if I had accidentally turned one on. I used two flush push button switches that light up when they are on. Due to their placement it was easy enough to thread the power wire behind the shower to an unused slot in the power panel.
Keep in mind that there is ample power available on the 12 volt terminal at the rear of the fridge (see post # 270). A simple way to switch the lights is to use one of these RF (radio frequency) remotes that does not require the remote to “see” the switch. I have used this type of switch with great success, but in a 4 channel version, in our last trailer. These RF remote switches deserve their own future post.
There are 345 LEDs on the front strip and 411 LEDs on the rear strip for a total of 756. The approximate power consumption for the front strip is .7 of an amp and the rear .8 of an amp for 1.5 amp total. Make sure somewhere near your power source you install a 2 amp fuse in the line.
Very creative. Look forward to finding your trailer in the dark at the rally!
Linear Mode
